As Little Italy residents reel over news that a 42-year-old neighbor was raped in her apartment bedroom—next to her sleeping daughter—yesterday morning, the NYPD has released a sketch of the suspect (pictured, right) as well as surveillance video of a "person of interest."
According to investigators, the suspect entered the woman's apartment through a fire escape window around 3:30 a.m. He woke the woman, who was sleeping in a bed with her seven-year-old daughter, and threatened her to keep silent. He raped her knifepoint and fled through the apartment's front door.
Here's video taken from a surveillance camera:
The suspect is described as male wearing a black knitted hat, black leather jacket and black pants.
A friend told WABC 7, "She's a very nice person. She [has] a husband, kids. I remember when the baby was born. This surprised me that this happened to her," while a neighbor said to NBC New York, "It's too close to home for me, I have a child... It's very scary."
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
